Businesses told to prepare for coming digital era

DELOITTE Australia is encouraging businesses in Papua New Guinea to be prepared for the digital era that is coming once the Coral Sea Cable is completed by the end of this year. The Coral Sea cable from Sydney to Port Moresby is expected to be completed by the end of this year and bring about a fall in internet prices. Deloittee representative Peter Williams urged businesses to look at what sort of cloud software could be useful for them. “For example, Xero for accounting, Gmail for business, Google Drive for storing and collaborating on electronic documents or Mail Chimp for email marketing,” he told The National. “These products are highly functional, easy to use and very low cost. “Ensure that all cloud software is mobile-optimised, as people in PNG access the internet and apps through mobile. “I also encourage businesses to use software like WhatsApp and Facebook for business purposes.” Williams said there were huge opportunities for PNG. “Digital technology can also be used to record and preserve the stories, sounds and languages of PNGs amazingly diverse cultures,” he said.